CISF says 'creditable' steps led to lowest number of suicides over last 6 years

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Thursday said it has recorded the lowest number of suicides amongst its personnel in 2024 -- at 15 -- over a six-year period due to some "creditable" steps taken to resolve the problems of its staffers.
     As per official data, the force, which guards vital and sensitive installations in the aerospace, nuclear and government domain, saw 15 deaths last year due to suicide, a 9.86 per cent rate in an organisation that has an operational strength of over 1.51 lakh personnel.
     The comparative data of deaths due to suicide in the force over the last five years stood at 25 (2023), 26 (2022), 21 (2021), 18 (2020) and 17 (2019).
     "The CISF has taken creditable steps in combating this challenge by implementing a series of proactive measures, which has led to substantial reduction in suicides of force members in 2024," said a CISF spokesperson.
     As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the spokesperson said that the national suicide rate stood at 12.4 per lakh in 2022.
     "In comparison, the CISF has significantly reduced its suicide rate to 9.87 per lakh in 2024, a decline of over 40 per cent from 2023," he said.
     It is for the first time in the last five years that suicide rate in the CISF has fallen below the national rate, the spokesperson claimed.
     The official said the CISF has taken a series of steps to address "mental health issues" on "proactive" basis, leading to a "substantial" reduction in suicides.
     This includes personalised engagement by the officers with the troops on the theme of 'know your men and hear your men', stress management through yoga and games, online grievance redressal, tele-counselling on mental health issues for 4,200 personnel till last year and taking action on mental health issues as recommended by the AIIMS.
     The CISF said its new transfer and posting policy launched recently is also a step in ensuring better work-life balance for its non-gazetted rank officials, who constitute almost 98 per cent of its strength.
     "CISF is committed to extend full support to its force members in ensuring their well-being and mental health," the spokesperson said.
     The CISF, which works under the Union Home Ministry, guards 359 units across the country, including 68 civil airports, historical monuments like Taj Mahal and Red Fort, the Delhi Metro, Parliament House and many other government and private installations apart from securing a number of VVIPs.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)